Hundreds of students at a Kitchener public school are writing cards filled with hope that will be sent to northern Saskatchewan First Nation communities in the wake of a suicide crisis.
Students at Kitchener’s Jean Steckle Public School are taking part in the national letter writing campaign, Cards of Hope, in response to the six young girls who have died by suicide in less than a month.
The cards are filled with words of encouragement and tell young people not to give up hope and to know that others believe in them.
Some kids filled their cards with empowering words such as: “You are brave, strong, unbreakable, kind and beautiful.” Another card read: “Be strong and be positive. Surround yourself with those who make you happy.”
For one student, sitting down to write the card made her think about herself and her friends and what the suicide crisis means for children in First Nation communities.
“It’s kind of scary to think about,” said Scarlett, a student at the Kitchener school. “You can think about yourself doing this and you can think about your friends doing this and it just doesn’t make you feel good.”
According to Kristy McFayden, a teacher at Jean Steckle Public School, writing these cards also helped the students see that not everyone is as lucky as they are.
“For them, everything is at their fingertips and they forget that,” said McFayden. “(They are) realizing there are communities that don’t have all those things and need more support.”
More than 2,000 cards have already been sent out as part of the national card campaign which calls on people all from over Canada to connect with children in northern Saskatchewan First Nation communities.
With a report from CTV Kitchener's Leena Latafat
